Clamp



Oct. 10, 1961 w. HESSLENBERG CLAMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 13, 1959 FIG. I

F/Ci 3 INVENTOP q g S 97 4/4 Oct. 10, 1961 w. HESSLENBERG 3,003,208

CLAMP Filed April 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOI? W S M United States Patnt 3,003,208 CLAMP Werner Hesslenberg, Wuppertal, Germany, assignor t Firma Walther-Technik Carl Kurt Walther, Wuppertal- Vohwinltel, Germany Filed Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 806,023 Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 25, 1958 4 Claims. (Cl. 2428) The present invention relates to clamps.

More particularly, the present invention relates to wire clamps of the type used to close the end of a sack or to clamp a hose onto a rigid tube, for example.

Clamps of this type have several disadvantages at the present time. In the first place, special tools are required to twist the ends of the wire so that it will tightly clamp the article. In the second place, after the twisting is completed, the twisted end of the clampprojects so that it can easily injure people or other articles and so that it can catch on other articles and be broken off. Where the break occurs beyond the twisted free end portions of the wire, its clamping action is eliminated.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a clamp of the above type which does not require any special tools for twisting the ends of the wire.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clamp of the above type which will not expose the twisted free ends of the wire so that injuries will result therefrom or so that the clamp can be broken.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a clamp which can be placed in a clamping position with extreme speed and great ease.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a clamp of the above type which is of an extremely simple and inexpensive construction and which is very reliable.

With the above objects in view, the present invention includes, in a clamp of the above type, an elongated wire forming a loop through which the article to be clamped is adapted to pass. This wire has freeend portions which cross over and extend beyond each other. A hollow cap is provided with a pair of cutouts through which portions of the wire adjacent the region where the free end portions thereof cross each other respectively pass into the interior of the cap, and this region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other is located within the interior of the cap. This cap has a wall portion located between the wire and the center of the loop formed thereby so that the cap will be retained by the Wire itself on the clamped article. Also, the cap is formed with an additional cutout through which the free end portions of the wire extend to the exterior of the cap so as to be accessible for twisting. At the exterior of the cap, the free end portions of the wire are gripped by a twisting member which is turned in order to twist the free end portions of the wire until parts of the latter break oif within the cap to leave located entirely withinthe cap the twisted wire portions which provide the clamping force. In this way, the twisted part of the wire clamp is housed within the cap so as not to be exposed.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partly sectional elevational view of a clamp according to the present invention shown with the parts thereof in the condition they have just before the operator twists the ends of the wire clamp to provide the clamping force, FIG. 1 showing in transverse section the article to be clamped passing through the clamp of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partly section plan view taken along lines III-III of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation of another embodiment of a hollow cap forming part of the clamp of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional front elevation of another embodiment of a clamp according to the present invention, FIG. 5 being taken along the line VV of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the clamp of FIG. 5, as seen from the right side of FIG. 5, part of the structure of FIG. 6 being broken away to more clearly illustrate the details of the structure; and 7 FIGS. 7-9 show successive stages in the application of the structure of FIGS 5 and 6 onto a hose, FIG. 7 showing the structure just after it is slipped over the hose, PEG. 8 showing the structure after the twisting of the wire has started and FIG. 9 showing the structure in its final condition on the hose.

FIG. 1 shows a rigid pipe or tube 1 on which the hose 2 is located. The clamp of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 surrounding the hose 2 preparatory to clamping the latter onto the pipe 1. The structure which forms the clamp of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 in the condition it has when slipped onto the hose 2, and in the condition of the parts shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to slip the entire clamp structure longitudinally along the hose 2. The parts are shown in the same condition in FIG. 2.

The clamp structure of the invention includes the elongated wire 3 which forms the loop shown in FIG. 1 and this wire 3 has free end portions 3' and 3" which cross over and extend beyond each other as indicated in FIG. 1. The clamping force is provided by twisting the free end portions 3' and 3" of the Wire 3 so as to decrease the diameter of the loop formed thereby and pull the wire 3 tightly against the hose 2, the twisted free end portions 3 and 3" forming a double thread when twisted.

The clamp of the invention includes, in addition to the wire 3, a hollow cap 4 provided with a pair of opposed cutouts 5 and 6 through which portions of the wire 3 adjacent the region where the free end portions 3' and 3" cross over each other respectively extend into the interior of the cap 4, as indicated in FIG. 1, and it will be noted that the region where the free end portions 3 and 3" cross over each other is also located within the cap 4. The cap 4 is formed with the additional cutout 7 communicating with the cutouts 5 and 6 and through which the free end portions 3 and 3" extend to the exterior of the cap 4. The cap 4 may be made of a rigid metal, for example. It will be seen from FIG. 1 that the cutouts 5 and 6 are in the form of oppositely inclined channels which extend angularly into the cutout 7 which is centrally arranged with respect to the cap 4 The free end portions 3' and 3" of the wire 3 are received in and gripped by a twisting member 8. The twisting member 8 rests at its lower end, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the cap 4-, and the twisting member 8 is formed from sheet metal which is folded as shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the free end portions 3' and 3" extending through an opening in the twisting member 8 at the bottom end thereof as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The wire 3 extends, in the example illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, through a tubular envelope 9 whose opposite ends respectively extend into the cutouts '5 and 6 of the cap 4 in the manner shown in FIG. 1, the region where the end portions 3' and 3 cross over each other being locatedbeyond the ends of the envelope 9. The tubular envelope 9 is made of any suitable plastic, for example. The hollow interior of the envelope 9 has a cross sec tional size substantially greater than the cross sectional size of the wire 3 so that the latter has considerable play within the envelope 9, as shown more clearly at the lower part of FIG. 2. This play enables the wire to move with respect to the envelope 9 in the interior of the latter laterally with respect to the envelope 9 so that the wire can straighten itself out, if necessary, while being pulled during twisting of the end portions of the wire. As is shown most clearly in FIG. 3, the cutouts and 6 of the cap 4 have enlarged portions 5' and 6', respectively, which are made large enough to receive the ends of the envelope 9, respectively.

The clamp of the invention thus is composed of the wire 3, its envelope 9, the cap 4, and the twisting memher 8, and all of these parts are assembled together so as to form a unitary assembly having the construction shown in FIG. 1. It is this unitary assembly which is purchased by the consumer. The manufacturer places the wire through the envelope 9, forms the Wire into a loop as shown in FIG. 1, passes the ends of the wire through the cap 4 in the manner indicated in FIG. 1, and after the ends of the wire are passed through the opening of the twisting member 8, these ends are provided with the substantially 90 bend shown in FIG. 1 and the sheet metal which forms the twisting member 8 is then folded in a suitable press so as to have the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and this press guarantees that the twisting member 8 will grip the free end portions of the wire. In this manner, the entire assembly is formed by the manufacturer. When the purchaser wishes to use this assembly, he simply slips the article to be clamped through the loop formed by the clamping wire, and in the example shown in FIGS. 1-3, the parts will have the position indicated in FIG. 1 just before the twisting member is turned to provide the clamping force. Of course, the diameter of the loop can be considerably larger than the diameter of the article to be clamped. In the example of FIG. 1, the hose 2 has a diameter which is only slightly less than that of the loop of the clamp so that the latter is slipped onto the hose with a free sliding fit, but it is also possible for the clamp to be used in those cases where the diameter of the article to be clamped is considerably less than that of the loop of the clamp.

When the clamp is thus located in the position it is to have when the clamping force is applied, the operator only has to turn twisting member 8 around an axis which substantially coincides with the axis of the cutout 7, and this will cause the free end portions 3" and 3" of the wire to become twisted together and to form a double thread in the cutout 7. As the twisting of the wire continues, the tension increases until finally the wire breaks at the twisted portion of the wire intermediate the ends of the twisted portion. In order to guarantee that the break will occur within the cutout 7, which is to say within the cap 4, the twisting member 8 is pressed onto the ends of the wire in a manner which provides the twisting member 8 with a shearing edge engaging the end portions of the wire, and the pressing of the twisting member takes place in a manner providing the latter with the edge portion 10 which not only surrounds the ends of the wire, but also extends into cutout 7 in the manner indicated in FIG. 1. Of course, as is apparent from FIG. 1, when the clamp is not on the clamping member, the cap 4 has considerable play with respect to the wire and the edge 10 of member 8 is not necessarily within the cap 4 at this time and, of course, the member 8 is freely accessible to be engaged by the dies of the stamping press so that the sheet metal member 8 can be given the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, when the clamp is mounted in its clamping position and the twisting member 8 rests on cap 4, the edge 10 will be located within the cap 4 as indicated in FIG. 1. Thus, during manual turning of the twisting member 8, the

edge 10 of the latter will guarantee that the break occurs within the cap 4. Of course, the twisted portion of the wire may break at a point' nearer to the hose than the edge 10, but the break can never occur more distant from the hose than the edge 10 as a result of the shearing action of the latter. The break in the wire during the twisting thereof at a part of the loop, which is to say in advance of the twisted portion of the wire even closely adjacent to the latter is reliably prevented by choosing a wire which has substantial ductility to guarantee that the wire will not break at any part except the twisted portion thereof.

As soon as the break occurs, the twisting member 8 with the part of the wire extending from the latter to the break is simply thrown away. Thus, the twisted portion of the wire which extends from the loop after the break occurs will always be housed in its entirety within the cap 4 so that it is not exposed and thus cannot cause injury or be broken off unintentionally.

It will be noted that the cap 4 has a wall portion 11 located between the wire and the center of the loop formed thereby so that a part of the wire necessarily extends over the portion 11 of the cap 4 and cooperates with this portion 11 to retain the cap 4 on the clamped articel. This wall portion 11 is simply in the form of an elongated bar integral with the rest of the cap 4 and extending across the interior of the latter between the cutouts 5 and 6 and beneath the cutout 7, and it will be noted that the region where the free end portions 3 and 3 cross over each other is located between the Wall portion 11 of the cap 4 and the cutout 7 thereof.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a cap. Thus, the cap 4' of FIG. 4 is in the form of a small sheet metal cup formed on any suitable stamping machine with suitable cupping dies. The cap 4 of FIGS. 1-3 is formed by casting. This cap 4 is punched on its top end, as viewed in FIG. 4, with an opening which corresponds to and functions in the same way as the cutout 7 of the cap 4, and it is also punched so as to be provided with the pair of opposed side openings 5" and 6" which respectively correspond to the cutouts 5 and 6 of the cap 4. With the embodiment of FIG. 4, the cap does not include a wall portion in the form of a transverse bar. Instead, the periphery 11 of the cap 4 is endless so that it will necessarily be located between a portion of the wire and the center of the loop formed thereby and will thus reliably' be maintained on the clamped article. Thus, the cap 4 of FIG. 4 is not provided with anything like the peripheral notches corresponding to the notches 5 and 6 of the cap 4 which respectively form the enlarged parts of the cutouts 5 and 6. When the cap 4 of FIG. 4 is used, the envelope 9 is omitted and does not form part of the assembly and, of course, it is not essential to include the envelope 9 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. The wire used with the cap 4' is identical with that used with the cap 4, and the twisting member 8 is also identical.

It will be noted that the cap 4 or the cap 4 has an exterior surface portion surrounding the cutout 7 and engaged by the twisting member 8 during the turning of the latter.

It is to be noted that the twisting member 8 does not grip the ends of the wire with a force sufficient to prevent the ends of the wire from moving with respect to the twisting member 8 during the twisting of the wire. The frictional engagement of the member 8 with the ends of the wire is such that these ends can frictionally slide out of the twisting member 8 while rubbing thereagainst during twisting of the wire and thus, during the twisting of the wire, part of the twisted portion thereof will be drawn from the twisting member 8 into the cutout 7. This feature guarantees that the wire will not break in the twisting member 8.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, it will be seen that the clamp illustrated therein includes the wire loop 13 which corresponds to the wire 3, as well as the cap 14 and twistamazes ing member $18 which respectively correspond to the cap 4 and the twisting member 8. The wire 13 extends into the interior of the cap l 4 through notches 15 and 16 formed in the lower periphery of the hollow cap 14 which is provided at its top end with an opening corresponding to the opening 7 referred to above. It will be noted that the free end portions :13 and 13" of the wire 13 do not cross over each other but instead extend alongside of each other upwardly through the hollow cap 14 and out through the top opening thereof. The twisting member 18 is of the same construction as thetwisting member 8 described above, and the free end portions 13 and 13" of the wire loop 13 are bent so as to extend along the twisting member 18 at its bottom fold, in the manner described above in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. As is shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. '6, the cap 14 is provided with a pair of lugs 25 which are located alongside of the notches 15 and 16 thereof, respectively, and after the wire loop 13 is placed with portions thereof extending through the notches 15 and 16, respectively, the lugs 25 are bent over by hand to the solid line position indicated in FIG. 6, the cap 14 being stamped from sheet metal in a suitable cupping die, as described above in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 4, so that the lugs 25 can readily be bent by hand. Thus, these lugs 25 form portions of the cap 14 corresponding to the bar 1 1 of FIG. 1 and the portions 11' of the cap 4', these lugs 25 being located between a pant of the loop 13 adjacent the engaging portions 13 and 13 thereof and the center of the loop so that when the structure is mounted on a hose, the cap 14 will be retained thereon by the wire itself. The twisting member 18 is folded with respect to the end portions 13' and 16 of the wire 13 before the lugs 25 are bent to the positions thereof illustrated in the drawings.

This structure is slipped onto a hose 21, as indicated in FIG. 7, and then the twisting member 18 is twisted, the end portions 13 and 13 being shown in partly twisted condition in FIG. 8. It will be noted that with this embodiment of the invention where the free end portions 13 and 13" extend alongside of each other, but do not cross over each other, the operator can turn the twisting member 18 in either direction. In contrast, with the embodiment of FIG. 1, the operator will obtain the best results if he turns the twisting member 8 in only one direction because the end portions 3 and 3 cross over each other. Thus, with the embodiment of FIG. 1, if the twisting member 8 is not turned in the proper direction, the end portions of the wire loop will first untwist and then retwist themselves so that it is best to turn the twisting member 8 in that direction which will continue the twisting already started by placing the end portions of the wire originally in crossed over condition within the cap 4. Thus, the embodiment of FIG. 1 presents the advantage of requiring less twisting than the embodiments of FIGS. -9 since the twisting of the wire is already started in FIG. 1, but this embodiment does not have the advantage of being twistable in either direction with the same results produced irrespective of the direction of twisting, while the embodiment of FIGS. 5-9 requires somewhat more twisting but on the other hand presents the advantage of producing the same results irrespective of the direction of twisting.

The operator continues the twisting beyond the stage illustrated in FIG. 8 until the twisted portion of the wire breaks within the cap 14 to produce the structure illustrated in FIG. 9.

As is apparent from FIGS. 7-9, the lugs 25, in addition to being advantageous because of their simplicity of manufacture and low cost, also produce the advantage of becoming embedded in the hose which is made of rubber, or the like, so that an extremely secure connection is provided and the clamp will be incapable of turning around the axis of the hose.

It will be understood that each of the elements de- 6 scribed above, 'or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of clamps differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in wire clamps, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any Way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A clamp comprising, in combination, an elongated wire formed into a loop through which an article to be clamped is adapted to pass, said wire having free end portions which cross over each other; a cap formed with cutouts through which portions of the wire respectively adjacent said free end portions respectively pass into the interior of said cap, the region where said free end portions cross over each other also being located in the interior of said cap, and said cap being formed with an additional cutout through which said free end portions of the wire pass to the exterior of the cap, the latter having a Wall portion located between the wire and the center of the loop so that the wire will retain the cap on the clamped article; and a twisting member gripping the free end portions of the wire at the exterior of the cap so that said twisting member may be turned with respect to the cap while engaging an exterior surface portion thereof adjacent said additional cutout thereof to twist the free end portions of the wire to cause the latter to tightly clamp an article passing through the loop formed by the wire until the twisting member breaks the wire portions gripped thereby from the rest of the wire at a point located within the cap, said twisting member having an edge portion extending into said cap through said additional cutout thereof and engaging the free end portions of the wire within the cap to shear said free end portions of the wire at a point within the cap.

2. A clamp comprising, in combination, an elongated wire formed into a loop through which the article to be clamped is adapted to extend, said wire having free end portions which cross over each other; an elongated tubular envelope through which said wire passes, said envelope being shorter than the looped length of the wire and having a pair of ends located adjacent the region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other; and a hollow cap respectively formed with cutouts through which the wire extends adjacent the region where the free end portions thereof cross over each other, the ends of said envelope also extending into the cap through said cutouts, respectively, and said region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other being located within said cap, the latter having a wall portion located between the wire and the center of the loop formed thereby so that the wire will retain the cap on the clamped article, and said cap being formed with an additional cutout through which the free end portions of the wire pass to the exterior of the cap so that the free end portions of the wire are accessible for twisting until at least parts of said free end portions of the wire are broken off from the remainder of the wire at a point located within the cap.

3. A clamp comprising, in combination, an elongated wire formed into a loop through which the article to be clamped is adapted to extend, said wire having free end portions which cross over each other; an elongated tubular envelope through which said wire passes, said envelope being shorter than the looped length of the wire and having a pair of ends located adjacent the region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other; and a hollow cap respectively formed with cutouts through which the wire extends adjacent the region where the free end portions thereof cross over each other, the ends of said envelope also extending into the cap through said cutouts, respectively, and said region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other being located within said cap, the latter having a Wall portion located between the wire and the center of the loop formed thereby so that the wire will retain the cap on the clamped article, and said cap being formed with an additional cutout through which the free end portions of the wire pass to the exterior of the cap so that the free end portions of the wire are accessible for twisting until at least parts of said free end portions of the wire are broken off from the remainder of the wire at a point located within the cap, said cutouts into which the ends of said envelope respectively extend respectively having enlarged portions which receive the ends of said envelope.

4. A clamp comprising, in combination, an elongated wire formed into a loop through which the article to be clamped is adapted to extend, said wire having free end portions which cross over each other; an elongated tubular envelope through which said wire passes, said envelope being shorter than the looped length of the wire and having a pair of ends located adjacent the region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other; and a hollow cap respectively formed with cutouts through which the wire extends adjacent the region where the free end portions thereof cross over each other, the ends of said envelope also extending into the cap through said cutouts, respectively, and said region where the free end portions of the wire cross over each other being located within said cap, the latter having a wall portion located between the wire and the center of the loop formed thereby so that the wire will retain the cap on the clamped article, and said cap being formed with an additional cutout through which the free end portions of the wire pass to the exterior of the cap so that the free end portions of the wire are accessible for twisting until at least parts of said free end portions of the wire are broken off from the remainder of the wire at a point located within the cap, said envelope having an inner hollow space, the cross section of which is substantially larger than the cross section of the wire so that the latter has a free play within the envelope.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

